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14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Billy Joel - Piano Man Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, D, C, A7, Em, D7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

It’sGnine Do'clockonaCSaturday
CTheregularGcrowdshufflesA7inD
There’sanGoldmanDsittingCnexttoGme
MakingClovetohisDtonicandGginD
Hesays,G”SoncanyouDplaymeaCmemory
I’mCnotreallyGsurehowitA7goesD
Butit’sGsadandit’sDsweetandICknewit Gcomplete
WhenCIworeaDyoungerman’sGclothes”G
EmLa,lala,didiA7da
EmLaladidiA7da,daDdumCGD7
GSingusaDsong,you’retheCpianoGman
CSingusaGsong A7tonightD
Well,we’reGallintheDmoodforaCmelody
AndCyou’vegotusDfeelingallGrightD
NowGJohnattheDbarisaCfriendofGmine
HeCgetsmemyGdrinksforA7freeD
Andhe’sGquickwithaDjokeortoClightupyourGsmoke
Butthere’sCsomeplacethatDhe’dratherGbeD
HesaysG”Bill,I DbelievethisisCkillingGme”
AstheCsmileran GawayfromhisA7faceD
“WellI’mGsurethatIDcouldbeaCmovieGstar
IfCIcouldgetDoutofthisGplace”
OhEmla,lala,didiA7daA7
EmLaladidiA7da,daDdumCGD7
NowGPaulisaDrealestateCnovelist
WhoCneverhadtimeGforaA7wifeD
Andhe’sGtalkingwithDDaveywho’sCstillintheGNavy
AndCprobablyDwillbeforGlifeD
AndtheGwaitressisDpracticingCpolitics
AstheCbusinessmanGslowlygetsA7stonedD
Yes,they’reGsharingaDdrinktheycallClonelness
Butit’sCbetterthanDdrinking GaloneD
GSingusaDsong,you’retheCpianoGman
CSingusaGsong A7tonightD
Well,we’reGallintheDmoodforaCmelody
AndCyou’vegotusDfeelingallGrightD
It’saGprettygoodDcrowdforaCSaturday
AndtheCmanagerGgivesmeaA7smileD
‘CauseheGknowsthatit’sDmethey’vebeenCcomingtoGsee
ToCforgetaboutDlifeforaGwhileD
AndtheGpiano,itDsoundslikeaCcarnival
AndtheCmicrophoneGsmellslikeaA7beerD
AndtheyGsitattheDbarandputCbreadinmyGjar
Andsay, C“Man,whatareDyoudoingGhere?”D
Emlalala,didaA7da
EmLala,didiA7dadaDdumCGD7
GSingusaDsong,you’retheCpianoGman
CSingusaGsong A7tonightD
Well,we’reGallintheDmoodforaCmelody
AndCyou’vegotusallDfeeling Galright
C.
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistBilly Joel
AlbumPiano Man
GenresRock
Year1973
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Piano Man on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Billy Joel - Piano Man on guitar requires 6 chords and 10 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

Piano Man uses these transitions most often: C → G (39), G → D (30), and D → G (29). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with G - D chord transition.

1. G → D chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from G to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 30 times.

G to D

2. D → C chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Here's how to move from D to C:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 25 times.

D to C

3. C → G chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 39 times.

C to G

4. G → A7 chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

To move from G to A7:

  1. While playing G, lift your ring finger from E string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to B string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

G to A7

5. A7 → D chord transition

To move from A7 to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from B string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 14 times.

6. G → Em chord transition

Switching from G to Em:

  1. While playing G, lift your index finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Lift your middle finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

7. Em → A7 chord transition

To move from Em to A7:

  1. While playing Em, lift your ring finger from D string fret 2.
  2. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 2.
  3. Place index finger on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

8. G → D7 chord transition

To move from G to D7:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

9. D → Em chord transition

Switching from D to Em:

  1. While playing D, lift your index finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Lift your middle finger from E string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from B string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus.

10. C → A7 chord transition

Here's how to move from C to A7:

  1. While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 2.

This transition appears in the outro.

Piano Man chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Piano Man.

  • Piano Man includes 205 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.05% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Piano Man contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Piano Man connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → D: 24%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Em: 17%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.